Always bringing you the hottest North American music, we don't want our readers to forget that Raptalk is a global movement. We sat down with international producer Ajami from Sweden to discuss a number of things. Drawing comparisons to Dr. Dre, Timbaland & Kanye West, it's no wonder why Ajami has even gone to Las Vegas in order to produce for American artists.

Recognizing he has many styles and many different dimensions to his producing, Ajami has produced many songs of many different sounds and genres.

Teamed with Maynea Records in Sweden, Ajami is ready to rule the European scene with his music.

Check out Ajami on MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/ajamiprod

Interview: We’re here with Ajami, the super producer out of Sweden. How did you get your start in producing?

Ajami: That goes way back to when I was a child. I always loved music and I played the piano and keyboard. This is how I was introduced to the business. I liked to do my own music; not to just listen to music for the sake of listening to it. I wanted to listen to it and make my own. That’s how I got into it I believe.

Interview: Speaking of listening to music and wanting to do your own, who were your producer influences before you got into the business?

Ajami: Before I got into the business? Ok, wow (laughs). That’s a hard question. I think there were a lot of different types of producers and composers as well that influenced me. I would listen to classical music a lot before. I still do. I really like Mozart, Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, Vivaldi etc. I got into the modern producers like Dr. Dre – I really liked his stuff before I even started producing. He has been like a role model to me (laughs). J. Dilla, rest in peace – producers like that.

Interview: Moving onto your own sound of music, describe your overall sound to our readers.

Ajami: To be honest, I don’t think I even have a sound. It’s basically people telling me that this is my sound but I can’t really hear the sound that they are hearing. I just do what I do and it turns out to become my sound somehow. I’ve never even really thought about this. Mostly, I use a lot of piano or strings. I really am like a perfectionist when it comes to this stuff.

Interview: So you do consider yourself a perfectionist. In terms of using the piano or strings, do you have a preferred method that allows you to incorporate the piano or strings into your production?

Ajami: Yes I do. And I don’t always like to be though. I actually start off with the harmony. I started off doing music by ear. I did everything by ear before. I didn’t really know what I was doing; I would just do it. Later on, I started studying theoretical music as well. I saw the patterns and I saw the stuff I was doing before and there wasn’t much of a difference there. I normally just play and it works out theoretically as well. I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence or something but it works (laughs).

Interview: (laughs) ok, no doubt. So would you say that the piano is your favorite instrument?

Ajami: I would say so. I’ve been playing the piano since I was young and that has become my favorite instrument. I also play the guitar, bass and drums as well. Nevertheless, I like playing the piano the most though.

Interview: I know you said it’s hard for you to describe your sound, but if you had to compare some of your beats to the music of another producer, who would you pick and why?

Ajami: It has changed a lot over the years. Before, it was more like Dr. Dre (laughs). I listened to him a lot before, his old stuff in NWA and his new stuff as well. It sounded a lot like Dre’s type of beats before. And then I moved to something else because I listen to a lot of different music. I listen to a mix of stuff. Before I got more commercial, I did a lot of underground hip-hop and that sounded a lot like Kanye West’s old beats, not his current style. I have changed a lot. I sometimes sound a bit like Timbaland as well I think (laughs). It’s just a mixture of those elements. It changed over time. What I listen to at that time influences the change.

Interview: Tell us about some of the people you’ve worked with. You did some work for Warner Bros., correct?

Ajami: I worked actually with a guy from Warner Bros. and we did a lot of projects together that are still on the way. We did a lot of collaborations with other producers and artists from Sweden and USA. I got into meeting new producers and new artists from Sweden and USA and that’s how we got into it.

Interview: You mentioned that your production used to sound like underground Kanye West before going more commercial. What made you want to make the transition from underground to commercial?             

Ajami: I really didn’t make a transition. It’s more about adapting because music is more about how you feel during a certain point in your life and what kind of perspective one has. I was at a period in my life when I worked with domestic artists and producers from Sweden; the underground hip-hop scene is huge here in Sweden actually. That’s how I got into it and I like music in general no matter the “genre”. It doesn’t matter what type of music – commercial or underground. It was more about the period in my life. Later I started doing more commercial beats when I began working with artists from foreign countries. That’s basically how it started. The artists needed different type of beats and I enjoyed making that type of music. I did more of that because that was the next period of my life and it felt natural. It was never like me giving up on underground hip-hop – I still do “underground” beats when I feel like it. It’s still there.

Interview: We’re going to get into some of the work with USA artists, specifically Airamis but first off, how did you become affiliated with Maynea Records?

Ajami: I’m actually one of the founders. I’m apart of Maynea Records. I formed it together with two other people. We felt that we needed this, especially in Sweden. There were a lot of people talking about American record labels here and there, but we wanted to make our own record label as well as a distribution label. We wanted to do it our way; the modern way. In this era specifically, everything here is digital right now. People rarely buy physical CD’s and they like to download everything. We wanted to become a modern type of label and adapt ourselves in a way, which the major labels actually have a problem adapting to.

Interview: And we’re going to get into some of the work the label has done, such as you producing the “In the Zone” single for Airamis. Tell us about that song in general.

Ajami: I had sent that beat to Airamis before I had ever met him, just to see what he can come up with, and he really liked it. He sent back a demo, which I really liked and he explained the idea behind the song so we (Maynea Records) wanted to do this for real. We decided to fly over to Las Vegas and meet him and also to record a couple of songs while we were there. I don’t remember how we got in touch but he made a great song out of it and I really liked what he did. We decided that we needed it as a single.

Interview: Speaking of you going over to Las Vegas to work with him, what was the first musical difference you noticed when you arrived in Vegas?

Ajami: What I noticed first was that it was more like a show. Everybody was trying to make it. They were all chasing a record deal. One of the differences was that there were more people who were serious about this business over there. I guess the main difference was, they all wanted to be that next mainstream artist with a hit song. It was amazing because I saw a lot of potential and talent. That was refreshing because I don’t see a lot of that here in Sweden. That was a major difference.

Interview: Take us through a typical recording session with Ajami. What is that like?

Ajami: (laughs) people label me as a perfectionist as I said before. They say I want everything to be perfect. I just want it to be good enough. I like what I do. I have to be satisfied – that’s the thing. I really believe that if you don’t do your best, you might as well not even try; especially in the studio where you have to be perfect. However, when you are performing live, you can do whatever, but during a studio session, it has to be perfect. That’s why people see me as a perfectionist. I don’t see myself in that light. I just want it to be right.

Interview: What do you think of the overall sound of production hip-hop has taken on in 2009?

Ajami: It’s all about how music is becoming. I think that a lot of us define hip-hop differently. Hip-Hop right now for many of us is not what we see on BET or MTV. That’s more like pop or R&B. Hip-hop is what you hear on the underground stations; underground type of hip-hop (laughs). Nevertheless, that type of music is developing and going forward. Every producer has the right to experiment and do something new. From that point of view, it’s actually positive because people don’t want to hear old ideas all of the time. We need some refreshment and that is necessary. I don’t mind where it’s going but sometimes it can be a little too much. Sometimes producers try too hard to do something new, or they make it too poppy. I don’t mind the progress as long as it sounds good.

Interview: And being a producer yourself and by just mentioning new ideas, you’ve obviously closely analyzed the work of producers like Dr. Dre & Timbaland. Those two specific producers are two names who are known for bringing new sounds and starting new trends in hip-hop, in your opinion, if you had to take a guess, what is the “next sound” that you can see blowing up in hip-hop?

Ajami: (laughs) wow that is a very hard question. Of course the “Maynea” sound of Ajami. I’ve actually been following Ryan Leslie. I think his music is really fresh. He’s bringing back that type of music that isn’t necessarily mainstream but it can be.  That’s how people define it. It’s really fresh but it also sounds like something we’ve heard before. He adds some sort of twist to it. I think that it can really blow up and be commercial in this industry. Ryan Leslie is the first thought that came to mind. The southern sound has been here for a while. T-Pain came with something new, weird sound and stuff like that. I don’t know how long that will last. I think eventually the sound of Ryan Leslie will take over. It’s very fresh and he’s very musically talented. I like it (laughs).

Interview: What’s next up for Ajami in terms of projects and what else you’re focusing on?

Ajami: I’m currently working on new tracks for Airamis. I’m trying to find that new sound for him. I am sending him new type of beats and there is this vision that I have for him. A lot of new Airamis stuff will be out soon. That’s what I’ve been mainly working on. I also have a lot of side projects as well but those are more or less the type of beats that I want to get out there as fast as I can (laughs). It’s all about Airamis right now for me. I really want to come up with something new for him. Airamis is on the top of my list right now.

Interview: No doubt. Thanks a whole lot for your time Ajami. Will definitely keep in touch. We urge all the fans and our readers to go out and support the Airamis “In the Zone” single, it definitely sounds like it can be a hit record. Do you have any last words before I let you go?

Ajami: Keep your ears open for more hot tracks with Airamis and the Maynea sound. And thank you for the interview, I really appreciate it.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment

---